FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Deputy Chief Kevin Lennon
The Yarmouth Police Department was awarded a grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s (EOPSS) Office of Grants and Research (OGR) to increase the number of impaired driving patrols during the holiday season. Yarmouth police will join other departments across the state and the State Police in the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over (DSOGPO) enforcement mobilization.
“Our main goal is to improve the overall safety of the citizens and visitors in our community. Nothing puts more innocent lives at risk than a person operating a motor vehicle while impaired” said Chief Frederickson. “We will use these funds to increase the number of impaired driving patrols over the holidays.”
In 2018 the Yarmouth Police arrested 89 individuals for operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Additionally, the department handled 545 motor vehicle crashes. 22 of the crashes involved individuals who were impaired by alcohol or drugs. The funds received will help the Yarmouth Police Department remove impaired drivers from the roads.
Be Safe and Be Smart- Don’t Drink and Drive
“Arranging for a sober ride home before celebrating should be a part of everyone’s plans this holiday season,” said Jeff Larason, Director of the OGR Highway Safety Division. “We want all drivers to recognize the responsibility they have to drive safely and to avoid getting behind the wheel if they’re impaired. Remember – If you feel different, you drive different.”
Massachusetts Data (2013-2017):
- Marijuana was the most prevalent drug found in drivers involved in fatal crashes.
- 11 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes were found with both alcohol and drugs in their system.
- 78 percent of impaired drivers in fatal crashes were men.
- 35 percent of drunk drivers involved in a fatal crash were 21-29 years old.
- The number of drivers involved in a fatal crash who were alcohol-impaired (BAC .08+) and had drugs in their system increased by 63 percent (35 to 57).
- From 2016 to 2017, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities decreased by 19 percent (148 to 120).
National Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
- Approximately one-third of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers. On average, more than 10,000 people have died each year (2013 to 2017) in drunk-driving crashes. To put it in perspective, that’s equal to about 20 jumbo jets crashing each year, with no survivors.
- In 2017, one person was killed every 48 minutes by a drunk driver on our nation’s roads.
- In 2017, almost one in five children (14 and younger) killed in traffic crashes were killed in drunk-driving crashes. Fifty-four percent of the time, it was the child’s driver who was drunk.
- Drugs were present in 43 percent of the fatally-injured drivers with a known test result in 2015, more frequently than alcohol was present.
- NHTSA’s 2013–2014 roadside survey found drugs in 22 percent of all drivers both on weekend nights and on weekdays.
- Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects—slows reaction times, impairs cognitive performance, and makes it more difficult for drivers to keep a steady position in their lane.
- Mixing alcohol and marijuana may dramatically produce effects greater than either drug on its own.
For more information on the Office of Grants and Research’s impaired driving enforcement grant program or to view the accompanying “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” TV ads, please visit http://www.mass.gov/drivesober.